press releases

Sesame Workshop brings Hour-Long Episodes of Sesame Street and other educational media to iTunes and the App Store

(New York, NY and Melbourne, Australia, February 13, 2012) For years, generations of Sesame Street fans in Australia have enjoyed a 30-minute version of the beloved educational television series on ABC. For the first time ever, one-hour Sesame Street episodes, as well as educational Apps, Music and Podcasts, will now be available on iTunes and the App Store. Viewers can visit everyone’s favorite furry and feathered friends anytime and anywhere—whether at home or on the go.

Beginning today, Australian fans can visit the Sesame Street page on iTunes to download a variety of Sesame Workshop pages and a vast library of TV content including:

full hour-long Sesame Street episodes from seasons 35 through 41, including never-before-seen segments in Australia from the hour-long version of the series;

Sesame Street podcasts;

Sesame Street Classics: Volume 1;

Pinky Dinky Doo: Great Big Stories, Volumes 1 and 2;

The Electric Company (New: Volumes 1-3) and The Electric Company (Classic: Volumes 1-2).

100 digital albums of Sesame Street music;

26 Sesame Street educational apps.

“As Sesame Workshop continues to lead and grow in the digital world, we are so thrilled to offer our Australian fans from pre-school through primary school a vast collection of educational media experiences,” said Scott Chambers, Sesame Workshop, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Media Distribution. “Learning with Sesame content can now literally happen anywhere—from your television, to your Mac, iPad iPhone, or iPod touch.”

Based on the books of author Jim Jinkins, the animated series Pinky Dinky Doo encourages early children’s literacy skills through games, songs, and make-believe, and 7-year-old Pinky’s astounding vocabulary. Pinky dreams up silly stories, along with her little brother, Tyler, inspiring preschoolers to imagine and express their own stories while starting them on the path to reading and writing.

The recharged version of The Electric Company launched in the U.S. in 2009 with the same mission to deliver literacy fundamentals from the classic 1970’s program, though updated with street-smart stories and contemporary pop culture. In each episode, The Electric Company crew solves the problem of the day using the power of words, joined by fresh hip-hop performers and celebrities in an energetic mix of live-action, animation and music videos.
The wildly popular 1970s-era Emmy award-winning children’s television series, The Electric Company (Classic)features an ensemble cast with Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby, and Rita Moreno, with voice-overs by Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Joan Rivers and Zero Mostel. With its roots in the Motown Sound, Broadway and The Carol Burnett Show, The Electric Company became a cultural phenomenon of the ‘70s, teaching children basic reading and grammar skills, with an emphasis on fun.

All Sesame Street content can be found on iTunes or the App Store on your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch or Mac, at www.itunes.com, or at www.itunes/sesamestreet.